I. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed generally to undergarments or outerwear configured to aid persons that are disabled and or physically challenged as a result of injury, illness or age to dress. Specifically, it is an undergarment or outerwear configured to assist a physically challenged individual in donning the undergarment or outerwear, when the individual has restricted or no use of the lower extremities.
II. Background Information
An individual for various reasons may have difficulties using their lower extremities in order to get undergarments or outer garments up the leg openings and over or under the buttock area into a comfortable proper position. The inability to accomplish this seemingly simple, but very necessary task may be the result of temporary or permanent, limited or total loss of flexibility to the lower extremities.
For many elderly individuals, as well as others suffering from certain diseases and injuries, including an increasingly young population of injured military personnel, except for the physical challenges associated with injuries to the back and certain losses of mobility associated with such injuries that are beyond the scope of this invention, there is a major need for assisting disabled individuals with dressing. People without these disabilities can function carefree when dressing or undressing or using the toilet. However, people with lower extremity disabilities may find these tasks challenging and/or time consuming. Devices to respond to this need are recognized as making a significant contribution to an individual's independence.
A wide variety of devices have been developed to assist physically challenged individuals in their daily lives. One class of such devices is variously described as “reachers.” Reachers commonly comprise a shaft of varying length with some type of “jaws” at one end that are operated by a manual trigger device at the other, handle end. Such devices are used effectively to retrieve items from the floor, tables, or shelves, and have been modified to assist an individual in putting on socks and shoes. Dressing aids, including modified reachers noted above, have been developed for a variety of specific uses: long-handled shoe horns to help those that cannot easily bend from the waist; plastic sleeves to assist in putting on socks and stockings, frequently such devices includes a “pull-stick” to move the sock/stocking into position once it is positioned over the foot and ankle. Dressing sticks comprising a stiff shaft and soft “hook” at the opposite end of the grip area are used by some to help pull-up pants legs.
Certain dressing aids and predecessor technology are the object of several United States patents. Among early prior art is a “grab-stick,” a shaft with pull action jaws to pick-up litter and a forerunner to “reachers” issued as U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,512 to Harold Baughman on Feb. 10, 1976. Also see U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,889 for a multipurpose dressing rod and reacher issued Nov. 18, 1997 to Douglas T. Liden.
Several patents involve technology specifically focused on putting socks or stockings on. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,604 issued Sep. 14, 1971 to Albert D. Ahn and U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,156 issued Jan. 14, 1975 to Ralph Lawrence. In some instances, multiple uses are suggested as in the “shoe horn and cane” apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,966,316 issued to Curtis L. George and Sandra L. George on Oct. 30, 1990. While these devices are excellent examples of devices that can assist people that are disabled and or physically challenged, there is a need for a garment having a configuration that independently aids individuals in dressing and undressing.
When a disabled person with lower extremity problems is dressing or undressing in bed with a standard undergarment or outer garment it can be difficult. They must first lift their legs while pulling the garments up the legs, then turn numerous times from side to side or lift the buttock area in a bridge position to don or remove the garment from the buttock area. This can be very difficult, tiresome, time consuming and in some people even painful.
Another problem with a standard undergarment or outer garment, such as slacks or shorts, occurs when a disabled individual is using the toilet, especially in a public restrooms. In this situation, to stand and hold on to something while they remove or replace garments to the buttock area, this can be unsafe. The individual is relying on a structure to be sturdy. In this scenario, one hand is holding the structure while the other hand is adjusting the garment to the buttocks. If standing is not an option, the disabled person must transfer directly to the toilet from their wheelchair. When sitting on the toilet seat to remove and replace the garment to the buttocks the person has to sway their body from side to side while pulling up or lowering the garment. There is a need for a garment that provides a disabled person with better control of the donning, removal and replacement of garments. There is a need for a garment structurally configured to facilitate safe control of an individual's body movements when donning or removing garments from the buttock area. There is a need for a garment that allows a disabled person to have less contact or touching of other surrounding areas while using the toilet.